Genius Times Three
by cobalt-blue
Summary: What would happen if you put three teenaged geniuses together on one adventure. POWER RANGERSSEAQUEST DSV STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION crossover.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note:

 Muses are such fickle things.  This is a short little fic that has been tickling the back of my mind for a week or so now, and I don't know any other way of getting rid of it, so here goes.  I guess with Johnathan Brandis' recent tragic suicide, his character has been on my mind a lot.  He is going to be sorely missed.  

Setting: 

Power Rangers:  

Sometime after Billy left for Aquitar. Actually in this, he left, came back, left again, came back and left again, and is coming back.  There was no Cestria. (You'll see.)  Jason has not yet given up the Gold Powers.

SeaQuest DSV:

After Hudson takes command of the boat.  The whole Ford/Henderson romance never happened.  However, there is a slight homage to the fanfiction _Lucas Darwin and Friends _in this one.  If you're over eighteen read that one.

Star Trek: Next Generation:

Sometime between first and Second Season.  Tasha Yar is still alive.  Consider this as being influenced by Diane Duane's AU.  I borrowed Project Sunseed from her.

As a side note, I'd like to point out that fanfiction.net has posted the following:

FanFiction.Net respects the expressed wishes of the following authors and will not archive entries based on their work: 

Anne Rice Anne McCaffrey Raymond Feist Robin McKinley Laurell K. Hamilton Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb Irene Radford P.N. Elrod 

  
Failure to comply with site rules will result in the removal of stories and/or removal of account.

I fully respect and support that and feel that FFN are acting well within their rights, and are making a good business decision in this day of excessive litigation.   However, also acting within my rights, and since these authors are feeling so selfish, I am hereby stating that I will no longer buy their books, or support them in any way.  If they feel that only they can interpret their characters and plots and are going to declare their sandbox off limits, I'll simply find another one to play in.

~*~

AQUITAR

          "That is your final treatment, William of Earth.  The healing waters have done their job.  You may now return home," Cestro told Billy.  "May the Power Protect you."  

          "Are we certain this time, Cestro?"  Billy asked.  "As much as I respect you and the other Aquitian Rangers, I have no desire to repeat this process again."  It had been a long and hard recovery from his second bout with aging.  According to Cestro, the first treatment had only acted to temporarily reverse the process.  A year after his return to Earth, he'd begun to age again and had to once again travel to Aquitar for a more intensive treatment- this one managed to actually harness the power of the negative protons his body contained in order to effect a cure.  

          "Your recovery is well over one hundred percent, Billy," the dark skinned Aquitian told him.

          "Over a hundred percent?" Billy asked somewhat confused.  

          "Yes," Cestro replied.  "The process seems to not only have reversed your aging, but has actually reset it back to your late teen-age years, to approximately an age equivalent to just before you and I met for the first time."

          Billy listened stunned, "You mean I must go through the latter stages of puberty again?" he asked incredulously.  _Oh God, Jason is just going to love this._  He thought to himself sarcastically.

          Cestro smiled wanly.  His long friendship with the Peacemaker had given him an insight into human physiology as well as psychology like no other Aquitian.  He understood Billy's consternation over the situation and the stray thought he picked up from his old friend couldn't help but elicit a sense of wry humor from him.  "At least this time you get to understand better what is happening to you," he told Billy.

          "Still doesn't make the hormone charges any easier," Billy snorted.  Looking over at the chronometer, he realized that he was going to be late if he didn't' hurry.  "Look I must hasten my departure, or I'll be tardy for an important engagement with Jason," he said.  "Thank you again, my friend."  He made the Aquitian gesture for extreme gratitude.

          Cestro smiled as he gave the appropriate response, "It was an honor to help an old friend."

          Billy stepped over to the Aquitian teleporter and smiled again, "Sometimes I think you understand we humans better than we ourselves do."

          Cestro actually shrugged at this one, "It is easier being on the outside looking in," the Aquitian Ranger told him as he crossed to the control panels.  "Farewell, my friend.  May the waters always be clear and warm for you."

          Billy smiled, and made the appropriate somatic gesture.  "May you always find haven in warm waters," he said as he hit the teleport stud on his communicator.  

          As he disappeared in a blue tinged light he felt the world suddenly jerk sideways.  He'd read enough about teleport accidents to recognize what one felt like even if he didn't know first hand.  The last thing he remembered thinking before the darkness took him was, _I'm going to be late for my date with Jason._

~*~

ABOARD SEAQUEST DSV

          Ensign Lucas Wolenczak pulled himself along the SeaQuest's access tubes.  He'd been digging through every relay and circuit onboard the huge submersible looking for what ever was disrupting her computer's chronometer.  So far, all he had to show for his efforts were aching muscles and a collection of bruises and contusions that rivaled the ones he received a few weeks ago when he, Henderson and Ortiz were stranded on that island in the South Pacific.  He smiled at himself at the memories that little excursion brought up.  _At least I had a good time collecting those bruises,_ he thought.

          Forcing his mind away from such thoughts, and the embarrassing reaction they brought about in his coveralls, he once again dove back into his search.  The disruptions were minor at the moment, but they could cascade into a larger problem if they weren't stopped soon.  

          In some ways, these glitches reminded him of all the minor difficulties the SeaQuest experienced after returning from Hyperion.  It was as if the sub was passing through some kind of time warp that was offsetting each chronometer in the relay by just fraction of a second.  If he couldn't find the cause soon, he was going to be forced to do a complete computer dump and then restart the whole system- not something he looked forward to doing.  He was hoping to spend some time this weekend collecting a few more bruises, not going through the subs computer system line by line.

          "_Lucas?_" Piccolo's voice came over his radio.  The seaman was even less happy about having to help Lucas than Lucas was about having to fix the problem.  Piccolo had plans himself this weekend and they involved a certain little club in the red-light district he kept raving about.

          Twisting around he pulled the radio from his hip and garnered himself a fresh bruise in the process. "Yeah Tony?"

          "_I'm getting some strange readings down here."_

          "What kind of readings," Lucas asked frustrated.  

          "_I'm not sure.  We're getting a lot of st…_" the radio crackled and cut out.  "_… is reading seven-fifty_."

          "I didn't get that, Tony.  What's reading seven-fifty?" he said back into the radio. This was getting just plain frustrating.  He twisted himself back around so that he was flat on his stomach in the access tube and started back down the tube.  Suddenly he felt something tingling in his feet.  Looking in that direction he suddenly saw a white hole open up around him.  "Oh shi.." was the last words heard in that tube.

~*~

USS ENTERPRISE NCC 1701-D Orbiting Argos

          "Romulan vessels de-cloaking less than an AU from our position sir," Lt. Yar said, her voice suddenly tense.  The Enterprise was still bringing up crew from the surface of the planet below, and she was in no position suddenly engage a Romulan vessel.  

          "Red Alert," Commander Riker ordered.  "Shields.  Arm phasers and photon torpedoes."

          "What's a Romulan vessel doing this far into Federation territory, and why is it decloaking now?" Captain Picard asked. "Open a channel to her."

          "Aye, sir," the Lt. replied. 

          "Sir," Lt. Commander Worf intoned, "the Romulans are making a straffing run a the Argonian sun."

          "They're doing what?!" Picard asked coming out of his seat.

          "They seem to be attempting to destabilize the star's corona with their warp fields."

          "Helm!" Riker suddenly ordered.  "Hard around.  Bring everything we've got to bear on that lead warbird."

          Picard looked at his first officer, "What is it Number One?"

          "The Sunseed maneuver sir.  They're attempting to increase the intensity of the ion storm by stimulating the star's corona!"

          "Captain," Data interrupted, "we are presently in the process of transporting several members of the away team up.  We can't maneuver out of orbit."

          Picard spun on the helmsman.  "As soon as this cycle is complete, disengage the transporter and close with the Romulan vessel.  Fire on my command."

          "Too late sir!" Lt. Yar said.  "They've entered the star's corona.  Bow shock from the subspace distortion in five, four, three, two, one!"  Suddenly the Enterprise was rocked with the leading edge of charged ions streaking out from the star at super-luminal speeds.  Systems overloaded, backups kicked in, and for a brief instant, like a surfer catching the mother of all waves, the Enterprise literally rode the crest of subspace distortion that emanated from the Argosian star.

          "Sir! We have a system overload in the transporter systems." Data called out as his hand locked down on the console to keep his place.  A couple of quick adjustments and he was able to bring the Enterprise up and over the top of the wave so that she was being carried along instead of being battered by it.  "Emergency backups systems are shunting the transportees to data storage."       

On the surface, Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher floated perfectly still while awaiting his turn for transport up to the ship.  The Enterprise was on an emergency medical mission to Argo to deal with a series of cascading technology failures that had been plaguing the water-world for the past several months.  So far, neither he nor Geordi could ascertain what was the cause of the failures or even how to predict where they were going to strike next.

          Argo itself had only been a member of the Federation for a little less than a hundred years.  Primitive by most Federation standards, it probably would not have been offered membership into the Federation if it were not for its abundant medicinal resources.  Argo was a veritable cornucopia of biological compounds that could be synthesized into useful drugs for over half races in the Federation.

Originally contacted by the legendary Captain Kirk and the first Enterprise, the planet had slowly prospered as its aquatic inhabitants fought their way tooth and nail into the twenty-fourth century.

          Wesley himself was unimpressed with the world.  He hated wearing the life-support belt required to function in the aquatic cities, and he was constantly cold.  He was convinced that Data was experimenting with humor again, and had somehow programmed his belt to leak, adding to his overall feeling of discomfort.  

          Still, the problem had not been solved and now he was having to return to the Enterprise without finding an answer.  Stellar meteorology had detected the beginnings of an ion storm building in the solar wind.  This section of the galaxy was in its "storm season" and he had no desire to be trapped down here when the ion storm set off more conventional storms on the planet.  Starfleet technology had long since overcome the real threat of these storms to their vessels, but old habits die hard, and it was still standard procedure to evacuate all non-essential personnel from a planet to ride the storm out safely aboard ship.

          His communicator beeped, "Acting Ensign Crusher here," he said after hitting the device on his chest.

          "Hang in there Wes," Geordi's voice told him over the link.  "You're next."

          "Acknowledged."

          He felt the beginning tingling of dental disintegration, something he always hated about transporters as the Enterprise took hold of his pattern.  Suddenly a wave of nausea and dizziness hit him, and nightmare images of transporter accidents flooded his thoughts just before he blacked out.

~*~

COMMAND CENTER

          "Tommy?" Cestro's voice came over the long range communicator.  

          "Yes?" Tommy asked.

          "Has Billy arrived safely?" Cestro asked.

          "No, we're still waiting?"

          "What do you mean arrived safely?" Jason asked.  Tommy could see the worry in his best friend's eyes.  Although nothing had yet to be said by either the former Blue or Gold Rangers, it hadn't escaped Tommy's or the other Rangers' attention the amount of time the two old friends were spending together.  Nor had they failed to notice that both young men were happier than they'd seemed in years- even with the resurgence of Billy's illness.  Of course that illness had created a distance between them that was unavoidable, but even that seemed to strengthen what was coming to fruition in their friends.  When Billy had left for Aquitar the second time, they'd all seen the look of longing on their burly friend's face.  

          "There was an energy surge in the Aquitian Power Chamber just as he teleported.  We lost his signal in transit."  Cestro's image in the viewing globe said.  He made some kind of sign, but Tommy didn't understand it.  Of all the Rangers, only Billy fully understood the nuances of the Aquitian sign language, and he claimed to be a beginner.  

          "Lost his signal in transit?  How?" Adam asked evenly.  Tommy could see that the Green Ranger was trying to keep his own voice calm.  Adam and Billy had become friends almost immediately after Adam joined the team.  The two young men's quiet natures made them gravitate toward each other naturally.

          "We are unsure as of yet, Adam Park," Cestro told them.  Our scans indicate some unusual temporal readings along the transport path from Aquitar to Earth.  We will continue scanning."

          "Thank you," Tommy said softly.  He didn't like this.  Billy was a good friend, a better friend than Tommy ever expected.  "Please keep us informed on what you find."

          "Of course," Cestro said. "Aquitar out."

          "Zordon, is there anything we can do from here?" Tommy asked their mentor.

          "Only continue to scan the transport path and try to ascertain what went wrong," their mentor said.

          "I'll get right on it," Adam said quietly as he moved toward the consoles.  "Alpha, give me a hand with this."

          "Ayiyiyiyiyi," the little robot replied, "I'm coming Adam."

          Tommy turned to see the stricken look on Jason's face.  Kat and Tanya were gently reaching out to touch him, to reassure him that everything will be alright.  "Jason, why don't you and I take Pyramidus up and take a look around the flight path."

          "What if Mondo attacks?" Rocky asked sheepishly.  "I mean, really. With two you out, we'd be a pretty rough spot."

          "We'll deal with it Rocky," Tanya told him.

          "I'm just saying…," Rocky tried defend himself.

          "I know what you're saying, Rocky and you're right."  He shook his head, "Look, let me get in touch with David.  He can take the White Crystal for me for a while, and that way you guys will only be short one 'zord."

          "Good idea," Adam interjected from across the Power Center.  He gave Rocky a look that spoke volumes.

          "Okay," Tommy said.  "Let me make a phone call."  He turned to Rocky and Tanya, "Can you two make sure Pyramidus is fueled and stocked.  We may be gone for a while."

          Tanya just nodded.  "Of course."  

The rest of Rangers set about their duties solemnly.  Tommy turned to Jason and put a hand on his shoulder, "We'll get him back, Bro."

~*~

ABOARD SEAQUEST

          "It looks like the Main Junction box shorted out," Dr. Smith told Piccolo. "You took quite a jolt."  

          Tony shook his head, and instantly regretted it.   He looked back toward where the access tube was pouring smoke into the room and suddenly felt a cold knot of fear in his gut.  "Wolenczak was in there!"

          "What?!" Dr. Smith asked.

          "Lucas was in there.  He was looking for something wrong with the computer's clocks."

          Dr. Smith turned to where the emergency fans were slowly clearing the smoke from the room.  Without another word she went  to the mic on the wall and called the Bridge.  "Hudson, this is Smith.  We've got a problem.  You'd better get down here."

          Two hours later, Piccolo had answered the same questions over and over again at least a hundred times.  "Yes, he was sure that Lucas had gone into the tube.  No, he hadn't carried anything that could have caused the fire.  No, he hadn't heard anything from him after noticing the odd readings."  Piccolo was getting worried.  Nobody had told him anything about what was going on. They just asked their questions and shook their heads at him like he was either lying or crazy.

          He was beginning to feel like the former when O'Neill came into the sick bay and told Hudson, "There's no sign of a body sir. It looks like a ten foot in diameter sphere of the boat has simply disappeared. No signs of being cut or burnt through or anything.  Just a smooth absence of what's supposed to be there."  He put two objects down on the desk next to Hudson. "This was all we found in the tube."  Piccolo looked over at the scorched insignia and the fried datapad.

          "How bad is the damage?" Hudson asked. "What about the computer problem Wolenczak was investigating?"

          "We're dead in the water sir.  We've got crews working to reconnect the systems, but there are several main power conduits running through that tube and it's going to take a while to repair them.   As for the computer glitch it's still there," O'Neill told him.  "It's getting worse."

          "Find Wolenzcek or find his body," Hudson told him.  "And get somebody on those computers.  We can't afford to be in a bind like this right now."

          "Yes sir," O'Neill said obviously hiding anything he might want to say.


	2. How in the world did I get here?

          Author's note:  

I know that Star Trek as a television show was mentioned at least three times on Power Rangers. However, for purposes of this story, we are to assume that that it didn't exist.  Consider it an AU.  The goal of this story is to have these three have a conversation.  It would take away from that if each of them recognized the other as a fictional character.

          The _USS Einstein_ timeslip cruiser comes from Jackill's Starfleet Reference Manual Volume II.  I'm using the stats presented there.

"We have a problem, Sir," Commander Decatur looked over his shoulder to where Captain Shir' Khar was sitting in the com of the _Einstein_. Technically Shir' Khar was and admiral, but admirals don't command starships, even timeslip cruisers, so she'd taken a rank reduction to command this vessel, and never looked back.

          "What kind of problem," the tall redhead asked irritably- Decatur had long ago come to understand his commander's moods.  He smiled to himself at the thought of a moody vulcanoid.  Throughout her entire career, Shir' Khar had never exhibited the normal self-control expected of other Vulcans.  She had a certain reputation for passion, ferocity, and loyalty- a reputation that resulted in a pre-Alliance Klingon bounty on her head surpassing that of Admiral Kirk's.  It was a reputation that allowed her to land a choice command assignment aboard the _Einstein_, one of only three functional Timeslip Cruisers.  Rumors were that her non-human heritage might not be exactly Vulcan- but nobody every pushed the issue.

          "_Enterprise_ has encountered some kind of temporal anomaly while attempting to transport crew from the surface of Argo," Decatur told her.  "The crew member has multiplied from one to three life forms."

          "Status?" the Admiral asked tersely.

          "We're still holding standard orbit three thousand kilometers aft of Enterprise at Z plus 10,000 meters.  Neither Enterprise nor the Romulan warbird have detected us.  We rode _Enterprise__'s wake across the bow shock of the ion storm."_

          "Status of the transportees?"

          "Enterprise's computers are having difficulty holding the data in her banks.  They've shunted the transportees into data storage and are powering up to accelerate after the Romulan ship."

          "I see," the Captain leaned forward in her chair and frowned.  "Damn peculiar."  Turning to the science station she asked, "Lieutenant Commander Hatfield, what was the nature of the temporal anomaly?"

          "It appears to be a fluctuation in the time stream created by a combination of the bow shock effect of the ion storm, the temporal instability created by our arrival in this time frame, and encountering what appears to be a very powerful transporter," the short blonde woman answered.

          "How powerful?" she asked.

          "Capable of reaching from Argo to Earth, sir," she replied. Then adding in her deep southern drawl, "And sir, it appears that if they don't resolve the issue soon, they're going to lose the transportees."

          "And they can't do that until they've dealt with the Romulan vessel," she said.

          Hatfield nodded, "Yes sir."

          Sighing deeply, Shir' Khar said, "Then I guess we need to lend them a hand."

          "Sir?" Hatfield asked.  "Our orders were to observe what caused this system's star to suddenly stimulate the ion storm that surged through this sector of space, not interfere, even if it means saving the _Enterprise__,_" she added.

          "I'm well aware of my orders Mister Hatfield.  However, I'm exercising Captain's prerogative.  Standing orders are that if in our investigations of the time stream we are to encounter another such transporter effect as the first _Enterprise_ encountered in the late nine-teen sixties we are to investigate.  This qualifies."

          "Yes, sir." Commander Hatfield said quietly.  "Standing by to _lend a hand_ sir."

          Shir' Khar only smiled at the woman's back.  Decatur had been with the former Admiral long enough to know when she had something up her sleeve.  He'd learned early on to trust his commander's instincts and stick close to her in times like this.  It kept him alive.  "Bring us around to match _Enterprise_'s course, Z plus ninety meters."

          "Sir that would put us almost directly against her shields," Decatur replied as he executed the order. "It's going to be some tight flying."

          "I have faith in your ability, Mr. Decatur."  She looked around and added, "And this ship."

          Decatur smiled to himself.  "Aye, aye sir."

          "May I inquire at to the Captain's intentions?" Hatfield asked as she scanned the ship below them.  She was still accustoming herself to the old style bridge layout.  Instead of sciences being part of tactical; aboard this ship, they held their own station on the port side of the bridge- much like in the old _Constitution class starships._

          "I intend to come alongside Enterprise and take those transportees right from Enterprise's data banks."

          "Sir?"

          "We can't let knowledge of that kind of transport technology fall into Picard's hands.  I know that man.  He'd be likely to hand it over to the Klingons and Romulans as well as to Starfleet in order to maintain the balance of power."  She shook her head.  "We are going to need those kinds of advancements if we're to deal with the Dominion in our own time."

          "Yes sir," Lieutenant Commander Hatfield replied.

          Within seconds, Decatur told his captain, "Sir, we're at Z plus ninety meters, and matching Enterprise's course and speed."

          Captain Shir' Khar turned to face the science station, "Mr. Hatfield, it's time for a little of your computer magic.  Lock our transporter computers with Enterprises, download the data you need and acknowledge when you're finished." She sat back in her seat and turned to face the view screen, her voice suddenly became very serious. "Helm, prepare to warp us out of here in pursuit of the Romulan vessel as soon as Mr. Hatfield has our prize.  Tactical, standby on weapons, prepare to raise shields and drop the cloak."

          "Aye aye sir."  Decatur knew what that meant.  If the Captain was ordering the _Einstein_ into battle, then the ship's cloaking field would have to be dropped.  If that were the case, then no Romulan survivors could be allowed.  Technically the Federation was not supposed to have a cloaking device.  Fortunately, the ion storm the Romulans had kicked up would make for excellent cover for any other vessel that might observe what was happening.

          "Got 'em sir!" Hatfield called.  "Three life forms and a large section of some kind of passageway in transporter room three."

          "Good," Captain Shir' Khar said. "Get me a medical team and a security detail down there now."

          "Aye aye sir."

          "Helm, bring us up, warp factor four.  Let's put some distance between us and the _Enterprise before we fire.  We don't want to frighten Captain Picard too badly."  She smiled and said.  Decatur could hear the unspoken implication in the Captain's words. _He might surrender his ship again._  Captain Shir' Khar's opinion of Picard was no secret to her few friends, and Decatur had managed become one of those.  One did not serve for four years as XO under a captain without developing some kind of relationship.  "Charge the phasers, arm quantum torpedoes, raise shields."  Her voice slipped into Vulcan command mode.  Her crew had long ago, learned to act instinctively to that tone of voice.  It meant the difference between life and death.  "Mr. Decatur, bring us on a heading of 183 mark four.  Tactical, drop the cloak on my mark and fire at will.  Make your shots count people, we want to stay de-cloaked for as short a time as possible."_

          Decatur felt the adrenalin pump into his system, his vision became sharper, his pulse pounded as his steady hands directed the ship to the captain's commands.  "Heading 183 mark four sir, warp factor four."

          "Very good Mr. Decatur." She turned to the tactical and ordered, "Mark, Mister Goodwin."

          The _Einstein_ wavered into existence, twin phasers arced out to match the Enterprise's actuated single phaser blast, quantum and photon torpedoes streaked toward their target.  The Romulan warbird lurched, its shields flared, and then one, two, three torpedoes streaked in to break the vessel apart.  "A direct hit!  She's done for Captain!" Mr. Goodwin replied.  On the screen, the Romulan warbird flared, blossomed into a fireball, and then ceased to exist.

          "Resume our cloak, and take us out of here.  Mr. Decatur, you have the com."  The captain rose from her chair.  "I'll be in the transporter room greeting our new guests."

*~*

          The teleport suddenly changed.  Billy lost the feeling of cold and speed that was normally associated with it. In its place was something else, something that made his teeth itch.  As the beam slowly released him, he looked around.  He was in a strange room with six circular pads on the floor.  Several people poured in through a pair of double doors, carrying what looked like hand weapons.  He stepped back into a defensive stance.  He might not be on Jason's or Tommy's level as a fighter, but over the years he'd learned how to protect himself.  

          To his left, he heard a groan escape from the large section of sparking tubing that had appeared beside him.  To his right there was another teen about his age dressed in a strange red and gray uniform with a stylized golden chevron on his chest.  He looked harmless enough.

          "Scan for weapons," one the newcomers carrying the hand weapons said as she pointed it toward the three of them. _At least they're speaking English._  Billy noted that they were wearing a variation of the other teenager's uniform.  

          The woman at the console said, "I'm getting some strange readings from the one in the middle.  He's wearing a powerful communicator on his wrist, but no weapons."

          "What about the one in the tube?"  One of the men stepped up to Billy, pointed the hand weapon at him and took his communicator from his wrist.  For a moment, he considered resisting, but he had no idea what the weapon would do to him.  Besides, he built the first communicators he could build them again.

          "No, weapons.  Just an old style radio."  Another stranger carrying a weapon stepped forward to the help whomever was in the tube.  A rather scorched teen with long blond hair scramble out patting at his smoldering uniform.  Billy noted that it was torn at the shoulder and several other places, as if he'd been in some kind of electrical fire.  After sniffing the air, he decided the other teen had definitely been in an electrical fire.  

          The man helping the teen out said, "Get a medical team up here. This one's injured."

          "This isn't the _Enterprise_," the teen at his side said with a confused tone. "Where are we?"

          "You're aboard another Starfleet vessel, and for now that's all I can tell you.  Captain Shir' Khar is on her way down."

          "Emerald Shir' Khar?" the teen asked.  "The captain who held off the Klingon attack at Canopis Four?"  He shook his head,  "She's still alive?"

          "Not only alive, but still kicking," a tall statuesque redheaded woman said from the doorway.  She entered the room preceding two men carrying gray plastic briefcases.  The first thing that struck Billy was her presence.  In many ways she reminded him of Jason or Tommy, she had a aura about her that just couldn't be ignored.  Her auburn hair was pulled back in a tight bun, revealing the pointed tips of her ears.   She looked at the teen who'd spoken with laser like green eyes, "You must Wesley Crusher."

          The boy- his name evidently Wesley- suddenly stood at attention and barked, "Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher, USS_ Enterprise_, sir."

          "At ease Acting Ensign Crusher. You're among friends." She smiled and turned toward the other teen, "And you are?" 

          The other teen smiled and brushed his hair out of his eyes as he stood up holding his shoulder.  He looked around in awe, "Uh, I'm… ah…  Ensign Lucas Walenczak, United Earth Oceans Deep Submergence Vehicle, _SeaQuest_."  He turned back to the captain, "Uh where are we?"

          The woman simply raised an eyebrow in amusement at him, and Billy noticed that it simply added to her air of strength. "You are aboard a Starfleet vessel now.  We mean you no harm."  She turned to one of the men who came in behind her.  "Tend to his injuries."

          Billy felt the her gaze fall on him seeming to penetrate to his soul.  She smiled, and said quietly.  "You can stand down.  Nobody's going to hurt you, uh.. mister?"

          Billy relaxed slightly as the other man held a device- Billy speculated it was some kind of scanner- about six inches from him.  "My appellation is William Cranston of Earth."

          Again the eyebrow went up.  "Of Earth you say?" She smiled, "What year?"

          "Two-thousand four."

          She nodded her head, "Do you often identify your planet of origin to strangers?"  She smiled, "Last time I checked, Earth was not in contact with any other planets in two thousand four, so why identify yourself as such?"

          Billy nodded, "And I believe that _Enterprise is an English name- the name of an aircraft carrier if I recall correctly.  Furthermore, I believe that there is no Earth organization called Starfleet, therefore, I am either on an alien ship of unknown origin- not unlikely, or in the future, also not unlikely, or both."_

          She smiled, "You are a rather astute young man.  And would you recognize an alien if you saw one?"

          It was Billy's turn to smile, "Possibly."

          Wesley turned to face him, "Unlikely."

          Billy simply shrugged. "I feel no need to boast."

          "Captain," the man Billy assumed to be a Medic of some sort showed his device to the woman.  

          "Interesting," she said as she looked at the scan. "Are you sure about this?"

          "I've ran the scan twice."

          "Could it be residual from how they arrived here?"

          "I don't think so sir.  You would have to ask Lieutenant-Commander Hatfield to be sure, but as far as I know, that kind of travel does not involve anti-matter."

          Captain looked over at Billy, "Would you like to explain to me how someone from the twenty-first century came to be exposed to anti-matter?"

           "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

          "Try me."

          "A panel exploded.  I threw myself between it and some colleagues.  I absorbed the negative protons it gave off."

          "And you're still alive?"

          He smiled remembering how Jason might reply. "I got sick, I got better with the help of some friends."

          "We're not here to harm you, Mr. Cranston. We're simply trying to ascertain how you ended up in a Federation transport beam on a planet half a sector from Earth."

          It was Billy's turn to raise and eyebrow and simply told the truth.  "Because I was in the process of returning to Earth from a planet half a sector away when I suddenly ended up here."

          She turned to her men, "Search him, and then show him to some quarters."  She gave the men a strange look, "Remember, he's a guest."

          "Aye sir."

          Turning to the boy who'd identified himself as Lucas she said, "And how did you end up here?"

          The boy shrugged and winced at the effort. "I was trying to track down a computer glitch on the _SeaQuest_ when a series of circuits shorted out and the next thing I knew I was here."

          "What kind of computer glitch?" Captain Shir' Khar asked.

          "All the ship's chronometers were off by a fraction of a millisecond.  It was playing havoc with the computer systems onboard."

          "And you have some expertise in computer systems?"

          "I graduated magna-cum-laude with a degree in Applied Principles of Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University. No one has broken my GPA record since," he told her with a smile.

          "Just how old are you Mr. Walenczak?" the Captain asked.

          "Sixteen ma'am."

          She smiled, "I see."

          "And you've never seen this kind of disruption before?"

          Lucas smiled, "I didn't say that ma'am."  Billy recognized the type of cascading computer glitch he was talking about.  It usually happened to computers that'd passed through a spatial warp.

          "Oh?" she asked. "When?"

          Lucas shrugged and grinned.  "I could tell you ma'am, but then I'd have to kill you."  He winked over at Billy.  Billy decided he liked this other young man.

          The captain shook her head and turned toward the man who was working on Lucas' arm.  "Is he okay?"

          "Just minor burns sir.  The dermal regenerator has taken care of most of it," the medic replied.

          She nodded.  "Good, see him to some quarters."

          "Aye, aye sir."

          She turned to Crusher, "Am I going to have the same kind of difficulty out of you Mr. Crusher?"

          "No ma'am." Crusher replied.

          "I was helping _Enterprise find the source of a cascading computer glitch on Argos.  An ion storm was building, and I beamed up to the ship.  The next thing I know, I'm here."_

          "Very well, Mr. Crusher," she said.  "I can't send you back to _Enterprise_ just yet.  For the time being, you'll be assigned to quarters on the officer's deck."

          "Yes, sir." Crusher responded.

~*~

          "We are trying to ascertain what has become of him now, sir," Lt. Commander Data told the captain.  "I've never seen a situation like this before sir."

          "Exactly what happened Data?" the Captain asked concerned.

          "We were in the process of beaming up Acting Ensign Crusher when we hit the bow shockwave of the ion distortion created by the Romulan warbird.  Because of the overload, his pattern was shunted to data storage until the transporters could be brought back online, as is emergency procedure," Data told him.  "After the Romulan vessel was destroyed, Lt. La Forge and I were unable to find pattern in the computers."

          "What do you mean unable to find them?" Picard asked.

          "As you know, after using a person's pattern, the transporter automatically erases it from its memory.  According to the computers, Acting Ensign Crusher's pattern along with the patterns of two other individuals were materialized at these coordinates at time index 12:52:31.9 ," Data replied handing the captain a pad.  

          "These coordinates are along our pursuit path of the Romulan vessel?"

          "Yes sir," Data told him.

          "Have you scanned the area?"

          "Yes sir. We've detected an ion trail that suggests a cloaked ship."

          "The "anomaly" you detected in the battle?"

          "Yes sir."

          "Very well, track its course out of the system and we'll follow.  The Argosians will just have to wait a little while to get their computers fixed."

          "Aye aye sir."

          Captain Picard watched Data leave the ready room.  He had a bad feeling about this and really did not wish to have to make a second trip to Beverly Crusher's home like he did nearly fifteen years ago.  There were some things that were too cruel.

~*~

          Tommy hit the computer console in frustration. "Damn!  I wish Billy were here.  He could make heads or tails out of these readings!"  

          "If Billy were here, we wouldn't be looking for him, Bro," Jason said calmly. 

          "How can you be this calm?" Tommy asked his best friend.  "I mean with it being Billy and all…"

          Jason sighed, "Because getting angry won't help me find him."  He raised an eyebrow, "And what does it being Billy have to do with me not being upset?"  He was proud of how even he'd kept his voice.  He wasn't about to let anyone know how much his heart was breaking, how his world was turning to ashes.

          Tommy had the good graces to blush.  "Look Bro, it hasn't exactly been that big of a secret.  Most of us have figured it out."

          "Figured what out, man?" Jason asked evenly.

          Tommy smiled remembering the James Bond marathon he and Jason had watched this past weekend while Billy was away on Aquitar.  He pitched his voice into his best General Golgo accent, "It hasn't escaped our attention that you and Agent Cranston have become something more than friends."

          Jason felt his face go red. "Really?"

          "Yeah man," Tommy said.  "Believe it or not, we're glad for you guys.  You've been dancing around each other for too long.  It's about damn time you got your acts together."

          Jason just nodded and said, "Thanks man."

          Tommy shrugged and said, "It's nothing.  I mean, he's my friend too."

           "It means a lot to me," Jason said.  "When this is over, when we get him back," Jason couldn't stand the thought of not getting Billy back, "it'll probably mean even more to me."

          Tommy just smiled.  Nothing else needed to be said.  He returned to scanning the sector of space where Billy's beam disappeared.  One of the scanners was acting funny, it sort of reminded him of the readings Billy once described of when Kimberly was trapped in the past.  "Hey, this looks kind of strange," he said.

          "What?" Jason asked.

          "I'm not sure," Tommy said. "It sort of looks like…" Suddenly Pyramidus was rocked from side to side with a terrible force.   The last thing he remembered was looking out the screen at the space beyond.  It looked like all the stars were shrinking into a single pinpoint of light, and then there was only darkness.

            
  



	3. Stand Off

          Billy looked around the "lounge" aboard the _Einstein_.  Several off-duty officers and crewmen who were sitting quietly talking among themselves occupied it.  He had been somewhat apprehensive when Lucas had suggested that they check out the place, but the Captain _had_ said that they were guests, albeit unwillingly so.  

          "So, you're from 2004?" the tall blond asked.

          Billy turned back to him and smiled. "Yeah, but I get the feeling we're from different vibratory planes, as well as time periods."

          The other teen smiled and sipped his drink, "What makes you think that?"

          Billy shrugged, "I don't know.  Something about this whole situation seems to suggest that we've all been pulled from different universes."

          "Want to compare notes?" Lucas asked.

          "Sure," Billy smiled immediately liking the other young man.  He gave him an appraising look and said, "Since when are sixteen year olds allowed to serve in the Navy?"

          Lucas smiled, "Since I know the SeaQuest like the back of my hand and the UEO can't afford to have me off her."

          "Why not?" Billy asked.

          "Because we're about the only thing that stands between the Macronesian Federation and the rest of the world."  He smiled and turned the conversation back to Billy,  "Where are you from?"

          Billy blushed slightly and said, "Angel Grove."  He always blushed when he told strangers where he was from.  He usually got all kinds of questions about the monsters and the Rangers and he found it difficult to keep a straight face when describing life there.

          "Never heard of it," Lucas said.  "Is it in Florida?"

          Billy smiled again, "No, California."  Then he chuckled adding, "That just about cinches it though.  We're definitely from different universes."

          Lucas gave him an questioning look, "Why?"

          "Trust me, if you were from my universe, you'd definitely have heard of Angel Grove, California."

          "Something special huh?" Lucas asked.

          "You could say that.  It's about the most alien attacked city in the world," Billy told him.

          "Alien attacks?" Lucas asked incredulously.

          Billy nodded, "Yeah, about two or three attacks a week."

          "Historical records don't show anything about alien attacks in the early twenty-first century," Ensign Crusher commented as he sat down at the table with them.

          "Billy was just speculating that we are from alternate realities," Lucas said.

          Crusher raised an eyebrow. "Really, what makes you think that?"

          Billy gave the other boy a long look.  Something about him rubbed Billy the wrong way.  There was as smugness about him that gave Billy the idea that maybe Crusher thought he was superior to them.  "Because you have no records of Rita's and Lord Zed's, or the Machine Empire's attacks on Earth."

          "Your Earth is being invaded?" Crusher asked.  "By a machine race?"

          Billy nodded, "Yeah, they've conquered a great deal of the galaxy and Earth, Eltar, and Aquitar are next on their agendas."

          "Aquitar?" Crusher asked incredulously.  "Let me guess, they're all aquatic?" 

          Billy nodded and blushed.  "Yes, but the name Aquitar is a human appellation of a word that cannot be pronounced by human vocal chords."

          "I see," Crusher nodded knowingly.

          "So, we all seem to be from different realities along the time stream," Lucas broke the uncomfortable silence.  "What do we all have in common then?"  He shrugged, "I mean why were we suddenly snatched into this reality and this time?"

          It was Crusher's turn to shrug, "It probably had something to do with the ion storm we were experiencing aboard the _Enterprise_.  They've been known to cause all kinds of transporter disruptions."

          "What's an ion storm?" Lucas asked.

          "A disruption in the stellar wind caused by gravitic and electro-magnetic fluctuations," Crusher told him.

          "And they disrupt your teleportation system?" Billy asked.

          Crusher nodded, "Yeah."

          Billy smiled and leaned back in his chair as he sipped the smoothie the _Einstein__'s_ replicators had made him.  "I was in the process of teleporting from Aquitar to Earth when I was redirected here."

          Crusher gave him another incredulous look, "You were transporting interstellar distances?"

          Billy nodded, "Affirmative."

          "Just how advanced is your Earth?" he asked.

          Billy smiled, "We are currently in the first part of the twentieth century.  Without any cultural references I can't really make an accurate comparison."  He looked around the room, "However, from looking at the technology I see around me, I would hazard a guess of several hundred years behind you."

          "Then how were you teleporting?" Lucas asked.

          Billy looked around uncomfortable.  "Because of my affiliation with Earth's defenders against the Machine Empire, I have access to more advanced technology."

          "Not everyone has access to this stuff?" Lucas asked.

          Billy nodded.  "Yeah.  I was one of the first."

          "Okay," Lucas smiled at him and then over at Crusher.  "What were you doing?"

          Crusher chuckled, "I was transporting up from Argo to the _Enterprise__,_" he said.  

          Lucas sipped his own drink, "And I was in an access tube aboard the _SeaQuest_, looking for the cause of a cascading glitch in the computer's chronometers." 

          "They were all off by a fraction of a second?" Wesley suddenly asked intrigued.

          Lucas nodded. "Yeah."

          "That was what I was doing on Argo, trying to find the cause of the same kind of problem."

          Billy cleared his throat, "We had a similar problem in the old Command Center immediately following Zed's attempt to destroy the uh… myself and some friends with a temporal device."

          "You're not telling us everything are you?" Lucas asked.

          Billy smiled, "No."

          "Why not?" Crusher asked.

          "Would you?" Lucas replied.

          Crusher seemed to consider the question.  "I guess not."

          Before either boy could reply a blonde woman wearing a similar uniform to Wesley's interrupted them.  "Excuse me, but Cap'n Shir' Khar would like to see you three on the bridge," she said in a soft southern drawl.

          All three boys exchanged looks.  Crusher looked up and asked, "What's this about Lieutenant?" 

          She smiled, "An unidentified craft has appeared off _Enterprise__'s_ port bow.  Cap'n wants to know if either of you recognize it."

~*~

          "There was a sudden spike in chronaton particles and it was just there, Captain," Data said.

          Picard looked at the huge pyramid shaped vessel that floated on the bridge view screen, its black and gold markings looking totally alien.  "Status of the intruder?"

          "For now it's just sitting there.  I'm picking up two life forms onboard."

          "A vessel that size is only crewed by two?" Picard asked.

          "It would appear so," Data replied.  "Initial scans indicate several unusual weapons, but none are powered up.  It's engines are showing inactive sir.  Whoever they are, they're dead in space."

          "Open hailing frequencies Lt. Yar.  Let's see if they want to talk."

          "Aye, sir."  Several seconds passed before the Lieutenant replied, "No response sir."

          "They could be unable to respond Captain," Riker told him.

          "That was what I was thinking," Picard said.  Turning to the blonde lieutenant behind him he asked, "What's the intruder's shield status?"

          "No shields sir, but there seems to be something interfering with a transporter lock."

          Picard rubbed his chin, and stood up.  "What can you tell me about it?"

          "The vessel has alien markings of an unknown origin.  Her volume is sixty-six percent of our own, but her mass is over three hundred percent of ours. There are several missile and directed energy weapons of unknown design aboard, but none are currently powered.  What internal readings we are able to obtain show a compartmentalization that might suggest some form of reconfigurable design," Data informed his captain.

          "Reconfigurable, how?" 

          "Unclear at the moment sir," Data told him.

          Picard studied the main view screen carefully as he sat down again.  The vessel had appeared at the exact location to where the computer indicated Ensign Crusher had been beamed.  Turning back to Data, he asked, "Do you think it might have something to do with Ensign Crusher's disappearance?"

          "Unknown sir," Data replied looking back toward where the large gold and black ship floated in space.  "However, I would say that the appearance of the chronaton particles, the Romulan's use of the Sunseed Maneuver and Wesley's disappearance, there is very high probability of any two if not all of these events being related."

          "Or all of them?" Picard commented.

          "Or all of them sir."

          "Maintain scans, we have to find what happened to Crusher."  He turned to Lt. Yar and added, "and keep a close eye on that vessel.  If anything changes, I want to know about it."

          "Yes sir."

~*~

          Jason shook his head and immediately regretted the action as his stomach threatened to reach up and strangle his brain if he did it again.  Pulling himself to first to his knees and then leaning heavily against the main console he fought the waves of vertigo that hit him like a series of hammer strikes.  Looking over he saw Tommy smiling over at him from a similar situation.  "I feel like Serpentera just hit us."

          Tommy grinned and steadied himself against the console, "That or we just went six rounds with Goldar _without_ powers."

          Jason smiled and shook his head.  It had taken a long time before he and Tommy had reached a point where they could joke about fighting Goldar alone.  It was a testament to the friendship they shared, that little things like trying to kill each other had become subjects about which they could joke.  "No, not even this feels like that."

          Tommy chuckled, "I guess not."  Looking around, he asked, "What DID happen to us?

          Jason worked his way around the console to the "pilot's" seat and looked at the read out.  Again, he sent up a silent prayer of thanks that Billy had adjusted Pyramidus' sensors and readouts to display in English.  A movement outside the cockpit caught his attention.  Looking up from the console he saw the huge starship "standing" off their bow.  "What the hell?"

          Tommy looked up from where he was standing to see the huge saucer shape that seemed to stare them in the face.  "My God, that thing is as big as Serpentera!"

          Jason nodded,  "I get the feeling we've found whatever happened to Billy."

          "We don't know that, Bro," Tommy said.

          "No, we don't," Jason said. "But don't you find it a little odd that we hit whatever it was that we hit at the same place Billy disappeared?"  He gestured out the cockpit, "Now that thing shows up."

          "Yes, I think it's a little odd," Tommy told him.  "But I'm not about to start making accusations until I've got all the facts."

          Jason blushed at Tommy's comments.  He realized that he might be jumping the gun, but he hated not being able to DO anything about Billy being missing.  "I know Bro."  He looked over, "What you say we talk to them?"

          Tommy grinned hugely, "Now that's the Gold Ranger I know."  He indicated the Gold Staff in the corner and said, "Maybe you ought to power up first."  

          Jason nodded and answered, "Maybe you're right."

~*~

          "Captain, there was just an energy spike on the alien vessel," Tasha Yar told her commanding officer.

          "What kind of spike?"

          "I'm unsure sir, in some ways it reminds me of the scans we got of Q," she told him.  A light blinked on her command console and she looked up again, "Captain, they're hailing us."

          "Put them on the screen."

          Two forms appeared on the screen. The first was a tall burly man dressed in a garish black and gold uniform complete with some kind of protective helmet.  The other was an attractive young man in his late teens or early twenties.  Both stood in the manner of men who were used to dealing with conflict and were capable of dishing it out.  "This is the Gold Ranger.  We're on a search and rescue mission for a human who disappeared in this sector of the galaxy a few hours ago."

          "This is Jean Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise.  We too are on a search and rescue mission for one of our crewmen who disappeared in this sector."  Picard told him wondering if their missing person could one of the anomalous two extra beings who showed up in Ensign Crusher's transporter beam.

          "Then maybe we should work together to find them," the young man with long hair answered. 

          "Perhaps you're right," Picard told him.  "How is it that you came to lose your companion?"

          The two men looked at each other, and then the one in black stepped forward.  "It was the Peacemaker.  He was teleporting from Aquitar to Earth when he disappeared."

          Tasha noticed that Picard kept his surprise carefully hidden.  She couldn't help but smile and think that he would make an excellent player at the officer's usual Friday night poker game.  "Where is Aquitar?" she asked.

          Again the two men seemed to exchange looks before the one without the helmet said, "It's in this star system of space."

          "The only habitable planet in this star system is Argo, called Hestalor by its inhabitants," Picard told the two men.  "Are you sure you are searching the correct area?"

          The one who identified himself as the Gold Ranger- whatever that was- muted the screen as the two seemed to conference with each other. Finally the other man went over to a console and studied it briefly.

          Suddenly a radio signal flared to life on Tasha's board.  "Captain, we're picking up some kind of transponder signal from nearby," she relayed the information to her commander.  "It seems to be coming from a cloaked ship."

~*~

          "Jase, look," Tommy told his friend, "Maybe we're close enough to him now that we can turn on the tracking signal embedded in his communicator."

"What tracking signal?" Jason asked as the two discussed what to do.        Something told Tommy that something wasn't right about this situation.  The only Picard he'd ever heard of was the one Billy told him about- the one that took the bathysphere into the Challenger Deep of the Marianas Trench back in the sixties.  He sure the hell didn't expect to find a whole starship full of humans this far out in space.  "Back during the Ninjetti period, Billy installed some pretty heavy tracking transmitters into all our communicators.  He said it was to save time in finding us in case we were ever kidnapped again."  Tommy understood that part of concern was due to his own actions as the evil Green Ranger.  "He told me he designed them to be able to punch through any kind of shielding."

Tommy could almost see Jason smile behind his helmet.  "Sounds like our Billy."  He nodded toward the console, "You know how to activate it?"

Tommy grinned back at him.  "Sure do Bro."  He went over to the console and punched in the sequence on Pyramidus' transmitters.

~*~

"That's Pyramidus," Billy told Captain Shir' Khar as he stared at the screen in disbelief.   The huge carrier zord hung in space before the other vessel on the screen.  Billy felt a brief flare of hope and pride for his friends.  "I don't know how they got here, but evidently my friends have come looking for me."

          "What is Pyramidus?" Captain Shir' Khar asked.

          "It's a Triforian 'Zord that is being used on Earth to help fight off the Machine Empire.  It is piloted by the Triforian Gold Ranger."  Billy didn't see the need to tell this strange captain that it was also piloted by the man he cared the most for in all of the galaxy.

          "Why do I get the impression that we are not exactly from the same universes?" the Captain asked him.

          Billy just shrugged, "Probably because that is an accurate assessment of the situation ma'am."

          "Damn, I hate dealing with alternate realities.  There's always some variables we can't account for," the Captain told him.

          "You have dealt with this sort of thing before?" Billy asked.

          She nodded.  "Yes, about eighty years ago when I was in Command of the Constellation, a strange ion storm caused a transporter accident that sent me and part of my crew back in time to an alternate Earth."  She smiled and in a gesture that Billy wasn't sure she was conscious of, reached up to touch her hair in an almost protective manner.  "Let's just say that we found out some unpleasant things about some of our counterparts in that reality."

          Billy just nodded as he realized that the subject was making the Captain somewhat uncomfortable.  "I think I understand."

          "Captain, we're getting a signal from the new vessel," a crewman to Billy's right said.

          "What kind of signal Lieutenant?"

          "I'm unsure Captain, but whatever it is, something aboard the _Einstein_ just punched a hole through our shields to answer it."

          "My communicator!" Billy said.  "They activated the emergency transponder signal!"

          "Whatever it is Captain, you can bet the _Enterprise_ just picked it up.  They know we're here."


	4. Things Invisible To See

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_**

**_All right, I'm sorry this is so late in coming, but I'm finishing up my last week of Graduate School so I've only been able to get a little written at a time. I also just moved again, so I'm still getting settled. _**

**_  I would like to point out that I'm pulling much of my interpretation of the Klingons and the Romulans from Diane Duane as opposed to Next Generation Canon.  It's just better stuff.  Commander T'Lin is very much based on Duane's character, A'el. _**

Thanks to Dagmar, and Jacks, and Tanya, and a whole host of others for the continuing support.  

**_Speaking of Dagmar, you asked if the Billy/Jason relationship was necessary to the story.  I told you that it was, because I wanted to deal with a major hole in the Star Trek universe.  This explains that-  Why even thought Babylon 5 was willing to deal with this issue, was Star Trek never willing to go there._**

**************************************************

"Captain, we're picking up some kind of transmission off our starboard bow," Lt. Yar announced.  It was her standard procedure to maintain as tight a security scan around the Enterprise as she could, so the signal that suddenly appeared out of nowhere had surprised her.

          "Captain," the Gold Ranger on the screen said, his voice carefully neutral, "That would be the communicator transponder that our missing friend was wearing."

          "Scan the area," Picard and the young man in black said simultaneously.  Jean-Luc couldn't help but smile at the tone of his voice.  This Black Ranger was obviously accustomed to giving orders.

          Long moments passed before Lt. Data intoned, "Inconclusive readings sir.  It's definitely a high powered transponder signal, but I can't get a lock on it."

          "Why not?" Picard asked.

          "There is some kind of interference coming from that portion of space.  Combined with the ion storm it's making it difficult to keep a sensor lock," the android told him.

          "Compensate," Picard told him.

          Aboard the other vessel, Captain Picard saw the other two men with their heads together over a console.  Evidently, they'd either forgotten or didn't care that they'd left the mic open on their communication equipment.  "It's Billy's signal alright," the longhaired young man said.

          "Where is he?" he asked.

          "He's on a ship.  The scanner is having problems penetrating its shielding, but give it time.  Billy upgraded them from the original Triforian designs to continually cycle through a series of configurations until it found one that could penetrate any kind of shielding."

          Picard could almost see the smile on the Gold Ranger's face through the helmet, "That sounds like Billy.  He hated the idea of not being able to get information on something."

          The other young man chuckled, "More like he wanted as much data from our battles as possible to figure how to take out whatever Mondo sent down."  Picard could almost feel the sense of brotherhood between these two.  Although young they may be, there was a sense of battle readiness between them that spoke of years of working together in life and death situations.  Briefly Picard wondered what this Triforia was like that it created such young and efficient warriors.

          "It's coming through now," the Gold Ranger said.  He ran his hands over several controls on his console before looking up to the view screen and saying, "Captain, have you ever seen a vessel like this?"

          The forward screen split to show a long sleek ship sitting off their starboard bow. It was hazy and almost transparent, an effect of whatever cloaking field they were using.  Slowly the image solidified until it was clear.  Picard realized that the Triforian's sensors were impressive if they could penetrate a cloak that effectively.  The large saucer-shaped primary hull and the splayed warp nacelles immediately identified it as a Federation ship.  Picard had vaguely seen the design before, but it wasn't any ship with which he was familiar.  He looked carefully at it, the name _USS Einstein _was clearly stenciled across its bow.  "It is obviously a Federation vessel, but I'm unfamiliar with it."

~*~

          "You damn well better not be familiar with it," Captain Shir' Khar said under her breath.  She spun on the science station, "How did they penetrate our cloak?  Report!"

          The blonde Lieutenant looked up from the device at the station and gave her a confused look.  "Unknown sir.  Somehow they've reconfigured their sensors to track the energy field of the cloak itself."

          Turning back to Billy she asked, "Would you care to explain that?"

          Billy just shrugged and carefully kept his face neutral.  It was obvious that this woman was upset about her invisibility screen being penetrated.  "I configured Pyramidus' sensor suit to tie into the Gold Morpher energy.  It physically configures the sensors every so often to get the most data on an object in the shortest amount of time."  He fought not to grin.  Even Zordon had been surprised at the amount of data he'd been recovering from the battlefield when he was acting as coadjutor for the Rangers. He also was careful not to tell her exactly how often Pyramidus would make those changes.  He might not be in the brig yet, but he understood that she wasn't about to just turn him back over to his friends.  "Mondo didn't always give us a lot of time, and sometimes a team member's survival depended on me being able to penetrate what ever kind shielding he had."

          "So you're some kind of whiz kid?" the Captain smiled as she looked back and forth between the three of them.

          Billy shrugged.  It wasn't in his nature to brag and until recently, his enhanced intelligence was as much a hindrance to him as an asset.  Years of being beaten up for blowing the curve, of being put in the garbage can as a joke, had all made him wary of displaying his intelligence too much.  "I'm a scientist."

          She smiled again, and for some reason Billy got the impression that the idea of her smiling was unnerving to her own crew.  "I get the feeling that you are far more than just a scientist Mr. Cranston."  Turning back to the screen, she studied the two starships that were turning to face the _Einstein_.  "_Enterprise_ alone has us out gunned," she sighed, "and this _Pyramidus_ is an unknown variable."

          "You wouldn't fire on another Federation vessel!" Crusher protested from beside Billy.  He was clearly becoming less than thrilled with being aboard this ship.

          Without looking at him, the captain answered, "To protect this mission, and save Argo City, yes I would."

          "What do you mean save Argo City?" Wesley asked, suddenly feeling his blood run cold.

          "At 14:02 local time, on this stardate, an unknown force will detonate an anti-matter device just above the main dome of Argo City, destroying the city and killing all inhabitants.  According to ship's emergency record buoy, _Enterprise_ will be destroyed eight minutes later by an unknown ship in orbit."  She turned to face Billy, I am beginning to believe that the ship responsible for the destruction of _Enterprise_ is the one out there."

          Billy simply raised an eyebrow, "And how is it that you are capable of ascertaining future occurrences?"  He refused to be baited.  If Jason destroyed another ship, it would have been for good reasons.

          "Because Mr. Cranston, the _Einstein_ has returned to this point in time from one week in the future.  That is why it is called a Timeslip cruiser," the captain answered him.  "I don't want to fire on either vessel, but it is my job to protect Federation lives and properties.  If that means I have to destroy _Pyramidus_, then I will."

          "Captain, I can assure you that Jas- Uh the Black Ranger is not and would not be responsible for the destruction of a city," Billy told her.  "Please let me speak to them.  I'm sure we can straighten this out without bloodshed."

          "Captain," Lt. Hatfield interrupted in her soft southern drawl, "Our orders expressly forbid letting _Enterprise_ know we exist."  

          The captain frowned to herself before addressing Billy. "I'll take it under advisement, Mr. Cranston."  She turned to the security guards at the door, "In the meantime, please show Mr. Cranston and our other two guests to their quarters."  There was a hidden iron in her voice that made it clear to all that the three boys were one step from the brig.

~*~

          Commander T'Lin on board the cloaked Romulan vessel, _Bloodwing,_ carefully studied the read-out on the data pad in her conference room.   She didn't like this assignment; she didn't like it at all.  Although it was necessary for the survival of the Empire, it was a coward's assignment.  This new generation in charge of the Empire had thrown honor to the winds, and had adopted a very Klingonesque view of the world.  She smiled thinking how ironic it was that the Klingons had finally found honor while her people seemed to have lost it.  The next generation didn't look like it was going to be any better.  She realized she must have sighed for her reverie was broken by Sub-Commander Shynn's question, "Is there something wrong Commander?"

          She shook her head, "No, Sub-commander, I was just thinking that I am getting just a little too old for this kind of mission.  Perhaps it is time that I retired to my family's lands on Rihan after this one."

          The Sub Commander gave her a wolfish smile; it was evident that he considered the opportunity of her retiring as a chance for a command of his own.  His voice dripped with honey when he replied, "_Bloodwing _would not be the same ship without you, Commander."

          She smiled her own dangerous smile, "I would suppose so, sub-commander."  Looking at the information on the data pad, she shuddered.  She knew what the standing order in the Empire was about interstellar matter transmission technology.  It was to be seized at the first opportunity.  Factor in the inclusion of a Federation starship with a cloaking device in the Alpha Quadrant, and she knew that her mission to retrieve the much needed materials for the vaccine from Argo was going to have to take a tertiary position to the other two missions: seize the scientist who claimed to have an interstellar transporter, and destroy the Federation vessel with the cloaking device.  "What have our scans revealed about the non-Federation vessel?"

          "It seems to possess no energy shielding, but is armored to the point that disruptors will have difficulty penetrating its hull."

          "Even with the upgrades we bought from the Ferengi?" she asked.

          "Yes commander.  The new ship shows signs of being able to withstand a great deal of damage.  Stealth would b recommended in this endeavor."

          She smiled, "I'll take it under advisement."  These younger officers knew little of honor, of the kind of honor her aunt had instilled in her.  They didn't understand a type of honor that could force one to kill one's own son- as her aunt had been forced to do, or to aid one's enemies- again as her aunt had done with another _Enterprise_ and another Federation captain.  Looking over at the readouts from the planet below, she considered her options.

          The Empire desperately needed the enzymes from Argo to stem the tide of the plague that was sweeping through it.  The only planet inside the Romulan borders that carried a similar life-form that could produce the enzymes needed for a vaccine had been destroyed in one of the many internal House Wars among the so-called Great Houses of Rihan.  Rihansu did not care for water planets, and the destruction of that one at the time had seemed as no great loss.  Now they were paying the price for their shortsightedness. She asked, "What is the status of our scouts down on the planet?"

          "They report having discovered a large bed of the coral we need just north of the city," Shynn reported.  "I was about to recall them."

          "Leave them be," she told him.  "We came here for the creatures and we will get them by the Stars."

          "But Commander, we need those specialist to analyze the alien vess…" Synn must have seen something in his commander's eyes, for he stopped in mid-sentence.  "Yes, Commander."

          "For now, hold position and make no move to attract attention to our presence.  Obviously this new ship is capable of penetrating a cloak.   I'd rather the only revelations made this day, be those of the Federation." She turned her back to the sub-commander- a mild rebuke to remind him that she still commanded _Bloodwing- _and studied the stars outside her conference room.  A few short heartbeats later, she heard the sound of the door opening and then closing as the sub-commander left.  She then turned back to the desk and to the data thereon to try to find a way out of the trap in which she found herself.

~*~

          Picard motioned for Tasha to cut the transmission to the other ship before turning to Counselor Troi.  "Report."

          The young Betazoid gave him a strange smile before saying, "It's really rather extraordinary.  It's a combination of things that I never expected to find in a human in this day and age."

          "Explain," the captain ordered.

          "First, both of those young men are archetype personalities.  They literally project humanity at its best and most noble.  They are genuinely looking to rescue their lost friend," she grinned at the innocence and lack of guile she was detecting from the alien ship.

          "And secondly?" 

          Deanna cleared her throat and looked around carefully. There were some issues that Terrans were still somewhat prickly about, and the one she was about to broach was among the prickliest of those.  One of the more unfortunate aftereffects of Eugenics War was the loss of certain gene combinations to the likes of Khan Noonian Singh's purges.  Although the humans were loath to admit it, some of those combinations were an embarrassment to parts of their populations.  Even today, when those combinations were detected among the human population, certain forms of legal gene therapy were used to "correct" them.  It was this correction process that had caused much of the misunderstandings between the Human and Deltan societies and had led to the Deltan's labeling humans as a sexually immature species.  The boy in black represented one of those combinations.  

          Finally, she plunged in and said, "This young man, the Peacemaker, that they are looking for, is the mate of the Black Ranger."

          Deanna could literally feel the wave of shock that washed over the bridge as the concept sunk into the bridge crew's consciousness.  Ironically, only Worf seemed to remain neutral.  Of course, the Klingons had their own version of the Battlemate, as did many warrior societies- even the Vulcans accepted it as part of IDIC, but humans seemed to be secretly glad that it was gone from their gene pool.  They were surprisingly tolerant of any activity in other species, but when this particular one was practiced among their own, they tended to react very negatively.


	5. Plans of Attack

Author's Note: Part of this episode references an adult piece of fanfiction set in the SeaQuest universe. If you are over eighteen and really want it, I'll be glad to send it to you. However, fair warning: It's a "bodice ripper."

"I thought that particular genetic anomaly had been lost from the human gene pool," Riker said. 

Deanna could literally feel the discomfort radiating from her former lover. She turned to him and smiled, "Be that as it may, these two are human _and_ they are also mates."

The captain cleared his throat. Deanna could feel him forcing himself to maintain control. Humans' reactions to same-sex pairings in other species had always been something of a difficult question, but they were always too polite to say anything about it. However, when the subject came up among themselves, it set off an almost flight or fight reaction in them. Now Deanna understood how the Deltans could declare humans sexually immature. "What do you mean by archetypes?"

She smiled, "I mean that if you went looking for a genuine, certified, card-carrying hero, these are the men you'd find."

"And what kind of threat would they pose to the Enterprise?" Riker asked.

"If they thought we were holding their friend, I think they'd first try to negotiate for them."

"And if that didn't work?"

"They'd take the E_nterprise_ apart piece by piece until they got him."

"What about the other Federation vessel out there?" Worf asked. "A cloaked Federation vessel in the Alpha Quadrant is a direct violation of our treaty with the Romulans."

"I am aware of that Mr. Worf," Picard replied. Turning back to the view screen, he looked at the wavering form of the _Einstein_ "Status of the alien vessel?"

"All weapons are powered down sir."

"And the _Einstein_?"

"She's sitting quietly off our bow, undoubtedly listening to our conversation with the Gold Ranger and his companion."

"What are the chances of Ensign Crusher and this Peacemaker being on that vessel Mr. Data."

The tall android turned to his captain and said, "Difficult to calculate sir, but I'd say that if they're alive, the probability would be approaching certainty sir."

Picard nodded, "Very well. Shields up. Target, the Einstein, but do not power the weapons yet."

"Aye sir."

"Lt. Hatfield, go down to the armory and shut that transmitter off. I don't care if you have to destroy it, just shut the damn thing off."

"Aye aye, sir," the blonde replied as she left the bridge.

Shir' Khar turned to face the screen where sensor information that the ship called _Pyramidus _was broadcasting to _Enterprise_. "Can we modify the cloaking field to hide from that thing?"

Commander Decatur looked over at his captain and replied, "I don't think we can sir," he told her. "From what I can tell the alien vessel physically reconfigures its sensors in a variable length cycle to constantly obtain information about its surroundings." He smiled in admiration of the alien vessel. "It is a real peace of work Captain. It's obviously designed for the sole purpose of combat,"

The captain turned and fixed him with a deep penetrating gaze that seemed to look directly into his soul. Briefly the gaze cut both ways and he could see the same reaction to his news as he had: Admiration for a well-crafted tool, and appreciation for elegance in design and function. "We can admire it later, Stephen. For now, I want you to find a way to hide from it." When she asked in that tone, Stephen Decatur knew he couldn't disappoint her.

"Aye sir," was his only reply as he turned back to the sensor read outs.

Shir' Khar turned to the security guard at the lift, "And keep an eye on our guests. They're not prisoners, but we don't want them having any outside communications just yet."

The security guard nodded, turned, and entered the lift leaving only the bridge with only quiet pulsing whine of the sensor equipment.

Lucas Walenczak was not a happy camper. He immediately realized he was way out of his league here. Yes, he'd managed to be one of the few humans of his reality to actually travel to another planet and help fight an interplanetary war, but this was a whole new ballgame. These Federation people had technology that made the stuff he saw on Hyperion look like tinker-toys, and the Cranston boy- cute as he might be- seemed to be able to pierce even their technology with a frightening level of ease.

"So you serve in a wet navy?" Crusher asked from his side as the three young men re-entered the officer's lounge. None of them saw any reason to return to their quarters and Billy had suggested the lounge since it was in clear view of the ship's officers and would alleviate any mistrust they might have of them.

He nodded at the other Ensign and joked, "Yeah, it gets me out of the house and away from my Dad." Of course he didn't tell him that he hadn't spoken to his dad for years, and wasn't even sure if his dad knew he was still alive since they returned from Hyperion. After all, what seemed like only a few hours to him turned out to be over ten years later on Earth. 

"And you work with some kind of paramilitary organization?" he asked Billy.

Lucas noticed the blond touch the bridge of his nose as if to push up non-existent glasses, "It's something like that, although my incarnation had less contact with military forces than some of the later teams." He was obviously not very comfortable with talking about it. 

"Are you an active part?" Crusher asked.

Billy shook his head, "No, not any more. Now I'm coadjutor for the team, I get to stay back and analyze the data from the battles and try to figure out the best way to stop whatever force we're… uh… the team is fighting."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not really comfortable with that," Crusher asked as the three young men sat down. It was an insight that Lucas hadn't expected from the intense young man. 

Wesley showed them how to operate the table to order their food and after placing their orders they continued their conversation. Billy picked up Wesley's question and replied shrugging, "I guess once you get used to being on the battlefield, it's difficult to watch your friends put their lives on the line while you sit back in safety." He looked around the room, "Look can we talk about something else?"

Lucas smiled at him. He understood how Billy felt. It was difficult to know that your crewmates and friends were in danger and there was nothing you can do about it- that all you could was sit back and wait, and pray they returned safely. He agreed with him, they needed to talk about something else. Smiling he asked, "So, who are the two guys in that ship?"

For the first time since they arrived on this strange ship, Lucas saw the smile on Billy's face actually meet his eyes, "That's Tommy and Jas… Uh.. the Gold Ranger."

Lucas leaned back and said, "Let me guess, secret identities?" It was a silly question, but at this point, he didn't have much more to go on. However, it would fit certain concepts that were starting to coalesce in his mind.

Again, Billy blushed before nodding, "Something like that."

"Secret identities? I don't understand," Wesley said. 

Billy gave Lucas a careful look before turning to the Ensign beside him and answered, "It's a concept that became popular for a specific genre of literature back in the nineteen thirties when Action Comics first appeared with their character Superman."

"I think I remember reading something about the genre," Wesley told him. "If I remember, it was rather juvenile wasn't it."

Again Lucas and Billy exchanged glances, "Spoken like someone who's never read Chris Clairemont," Lucas said.

Billy chuckled, "Or Mark Waid and Alex Ross."

"Good point," Lucas replied being able to enjoy one of his most secret passions. If Piccolo or any of the other members of the SeaQuest crew were to find out their resident genius- read as nerd- was also big into comic books, he'd never hear the end of it. At least here, he could talk about it without being chided. He hoped at least, that was the case.

"So basically, your forces conceal their real identities behind those funny costumes and helmets?" Wesley asked. Billy blushed and nodded. "Did you ever wear one?" he asked.

If possible, the blond turned even brighter red. "Affirmative," Billy told him. 

"So you must have had some serious hand to hand training then?" Wesley asked.

"I've had some very good teachers," Billy said. Lucas could see a mixture of both pride and discomfort in the thoughts that brought to bear. Again, changing the subject, he turned the tables on Crusher, "I don't mean to be rude, but aren't you a little young to be an Ensign in a military organization?"

"No younger than you working with one," Wesley countered. Then as if in a peace offering, he added, "I too had some pretty good teachers, and since Captain Picard was impressed with how I handled a couple of situations, he sponsored me into Starfleet as an acting ensign."

"Your Captain Picard sounds a lot like Captain Hudson on the SeaQuest. Once we got back from Hyperion, he gave me a choice, join UEO Navy or go home." Lucas fought back the sense of loss he had over all that they discovered when they "woke up" back on Earth. "I chose the Navy, as long as he didn't make me cut my hair."

"You held out for a hair cut?" Wesley asked grinning.

"Yeah," Lucas told him. "It's a rebellion thing."

Wesley and Billy both nodded in understanding. "Sometimes we have to remind the grown ups that we are our own person, not simply a carbon copy of them."

Billy chuckled at that. "Although it's not exactly the coif that I might select for myself, it does have a certain roguish charm to it." It reminded him a great deal of Tommy's hair.

Lucas chuckled and winked at him, as he remembered a recent weekend spent with Ortiz and Henderson stranded on an island in the South Pacific. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you just made a pass at me."

Billy blushed even deeper, and Lucas realized that on some level- probably subconsciously, the young man had done just that. "Uh,… not exactly. I'm already involved with someone."

"Lucky them," Lucas said, not realizing it until he said it that there was regret in his voice. Turning he saw Wesley with a confused look on his face.

"Uh guys, this isn't exactly the kind of conversation I'm that comfortable with," he told them.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, "Sorry Wes, I didn't mean to offend you."

Wesley shook his head, "I'm not offended, just a little confused. If I didn't know better I would have sworn you two were flirting."

Lucas watched Billy blush even further, "No, well I guess not." He gave Billy a wink, "Were we flirting?"

Billy looked over at Lucas and then to him, "Maybe this isn't the right conversation to be having."

"And what conversation should we be having then?" Wesley asked.

Billy and Lucas exchanged conspiratorial glances. Lucas smiled turned to Wesley and asked, "Like who is this Captain Shir' Khar and why is she so worried about your Captain finding out about this ship?"

Lucas could see Wesley relax visibly. He leaned back in his chair and smiled, "Captain Emerald Shir' Khar is one of the most enigmatic commanders in Starfleet since Captain Kirk." He shrugged, "If I remember correctly, she even served under him for a short time."

"This Captain Kirk is of some historical significance then?" Billy asked.

Wesley shrugged, "Depends on you who you ask. He's got a little too much of the cowboy in him for my tastes. I do have to admit though, that his career as a Starfleet officer is probably the most colorful and successful on the records."

"What about this Captain Shir' Khar?" Lucas asked. "I take it she's not human?"

Wesley seemed to squirm for a moment. "No, she's not. Most people think she's Vulcan- she's definitely vulcanoid- but I'm not so sure. She has a reputation for a fire and a passion, not to mention being emotional like no Vulcan I know of."

"I take it Vulcans are boring then?" Lucas asked.

Wesley shook his head, "No, not at all. They just go in for a very strict regime of emotional control. My friend T' Lear tells me that Vulcans do have emotions, they just keep them tightly regulated at all times."

"Very well, then why is this Captain Shir' Khar so noted- besides her more passionate approach to life?" Billy asked. 

Wesley sighed, "Well for one thing, before the Gland Alliance was declared with the Klingons, she had a higher bounty on her head than even Captain Kirk. For some reason, every time she and Klingons got in the same sector of space, they lost ships. At the Battle of Organia, she managed to take out two wolf packs of D-9 Cruisers with a single starship, break a huge hole into their support lines and was bearing down on a troop carrier when everyone's weapons became too hot to handle."

"Sounds like a real Horatio Hornblower," Lucas said.

Wesley smiled, "The thing about it is that there used to as big a fight to get a posting aboard the _Constellation_ and _Krieger_ when she commanded them as there is to get aboard _Enterprise_ today. She had a reputation for daring-do, and for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and the using it to beat defeat about the head and shoulders."

"Sounds like you admire her?" Lucas said.

Wesley shrugged, "Not really. She's from a different era. Her kind of command doesn't work in today's fleet. We need captains who are diplomats, not phaser-happy cowboys." He sighed and continued, "To be honest, I thought she'd retired somewhere. Of course to be honest, I've never heard of a starship named _Einstein_ either."

Lucas thought about what his new friend had said. It reminded him of the difference between Captains Bridger and Hudson. Captain Bridger was much more of a father figure, who ran the boat almost like a family. Captain Hudson was much harder, more distant. Lucas had to admit thought, that Hudson's style was probably what had kept them alive since returning from Hyperion, ten years out of their own time. It was a harsher world, one where Captain Bridger's style wasn't suited. He wondered how well Wesley's present commander would fare in the era of this Captain Shir' Khar. He shrugged and said, "I guess different eras have their own style and needs."

"I guess you're right," Wesley said.

Captain Picard looked up from where he was speaking to his officers and said, "Perhaps we could discuss this more easily in person?"

Jason exchanged glances with Tommy. Even through the helmet of the Gold Ranger such a subtle exchange carried a lot of information for two old friends. Tommy shrugged, "It's your call Bro. Personally, I don't see what we have to lose."

"That's what I was thinking," the Gold Ranger told the longhaired young man. Then, turning to the view screen, he added, "Very well Captain Picard. We'll teleport over." Picard watched as both young men reached up and touched something on their wrists. Suddenly in a streak of white and Black light, the two appeared on the bridge of the _Enterprise_.

Again, Picard felt a surreal sense of being out of control as these two managed to penetrate _Enterprise_'s defense screens with ease, and appearing right in front of him. Forcing himself to regain his composure, Picard straightened his uniform and said, "Welcome aboard the _Enterprise_." He smiled, "Anything you can tell us about your missing friend would be helpful."

The Gold Ranger looked over at him, reached up and disconnected the snaps on his helmet as he removed it. Again, Picard was struck by the youth of these people. He was little more than a teenager with midnight eyes and a serious face. Picard was surprised at the power he radiated, the sense of command he felt. When he spoke it was in a rich friendly baritone, "He was teleporting from Aquitar to Earth when he disappeared. The Aquitians contacted us to find out if he'd arrived safely and that's when we discovered that he'd been lost in transit." He turned and faced the longhaired man at his side, "That's when Tommy and I came looking for him, and fell through some kind of tear in space."

Picard looked over at his officers. Worf and Tasha were standing at the ready as if they expected an attack at any moment. Riker had moved over to one side to sandwich the newcomers between them. Of the senior officers, only Counselor Troi and Data seemed unfazed by their appearance. "Can you give us some indication as to where this Aquitar is?"

Tommy nodded and handed him something that looked like a data pad. "Here are the coordinates for it." He shrugged, "I'm not sure if our coordinate systems are the same. Billy says that ours are based off something he calls the Shaply Center."

Jean Luc took to the pad and handed it to Data, "I'm sure Lt. Commander Data can decipher the information."

Data simply nodded and said, "Right away sir, as he glanced down at the pad. 

Captain Picard turned back to the young men as the Gold Ranger asked, "What can you tell us about the vessel that the transponder signal came from?  
Picard smiled, "Very little really. It's obviously a Federation vessel, but I've never seen the design before, and our data base has no record of an _Einstein_."

"Why would they be holding Billy?" he asked.

"I'm unsure," the captain replied. "Unless it has something to do with his long range transporter technology."

"Can you contact them, tell them we want Billy back?" Tommy asked.

Picard shook his head, "So far, they refuse to answer hails."

"Captain," the Gold Ranger said, "Billy is our friend, he's our team mate, and he's aboard that vessel. Pretty soon, I'm going to get tired of being nice and I'm going to go over there and bust some heads to get him back."

Riker chuckled, "Two of you against a starship?" He shook his head, "If I remember my history correctly, I find that a little hard to believe."

"You've obviously never dealt with a Power Ranger before," Tommy said stepping up to the Enterprise's first officer. "We don't give up our own, and no matter what, we don't lose."

Riker simply raised an eyebrow as Picard told him, "Be that as it may, perhaps we should discuss this in my ready room."

The Gold Ranger nodded, "Agreed."

Commander T'Lin cursed the stars above and below as she paced the bridge of her old warbird. It carried the same name of her mother's sister's ship that had so disrupted the Empire eighty or so years ago. Now she found herself in a similar situation as A'el- trapped between honor and duty. It would be easy to seize either the materials needed for the vaccine below, the alien scientist who claimed to have interstellar transporter technology, or destroy the Federation ship with a cloak. It would not however, be easy to escape after trying any of the latter two, and she knew the proconsul would want at least one of those done, preferably both.

If she still had the _Battlequeen_ at her disposal she might be able to manage, but that vessel had been lost to the _Enterprise_ when it attempted to escalate the ion storm. It was the old curse again, her people seemed to have no luck against starships named _Enterprise_. "Status of the alien vessel?"

"Standing off our port bow, Commander. It seems that two of their crew members teleported over to the Enterprise moments ago," her tactical officer reported with a slight pause, "**Through** _Enterprise_'s deflectors."

"What?" she turned on the officer.

"It would appear that their technology is capable of penetrating our shields as well."

T'Lin cursed under her breath once again as she turned back to the view screen. "Status of the ion storm?"

"Still holding at Force Three Commander."

"Can we maneuver without either _Enterprise_ or the cloaked vessel detecting us?"

"With maneuvering thrusters only Commander."

T'Lin nodded. "Very well. Bring us up behind the Federation vessel with the cloak. Make it easy and gentle. We want to attract no attention until I give the order."

"Acknowledged." After a brief moment the tactical officer asked, "If I might be so bold as to ask Commander," T'Lin turned and fixed the Senior Centurion with her gaze and was pleasantly surprised when the woman didn't look down. Instead, she held her chin out and asked, "What is the Commander's plan of attack so that I might better have the ship's systems prepared?"

T'Lin allowed herself to smile slightly. This one would go far in the Empire if some stupid Commander somewhere didn't kill her for insubordination first. "I plan to have Bloodwing in a position where I can," she paused for a heartbeat to stress her next word, "_liberate_ the scientist and destroy the cloaked vessel, then beat a hasty retreat behind the Neutral Zone."

The woman's face lit up with a small smile of her own. All she said was, "The ship will be ready, Commander." 


End file.
